The siege carried into the next day. The French continued bombarding upon the fort, wreaking havoc and terror among those inside, and using the moments of peace to dig the trenches that brought them closer to a victory. Inside, Colonel Munro fought to keep his men's spirits up, while holding out hope that their plan to send a message to General Webb would work.

It was early afternoon when Cora was sent on an errand to fetch clean sheets from her own small room. The young woman was glad for the break and took her time enjoying the clean air and sunshine. After the previous night's encounter with Nathaniel, her spirits had improved and more than once she caught herself thinking about him. What would it be like to hold him in her arms? What would a kiss of his feel like? Taste like?

Cora happened to pass by the doorway to the main officers' headquarters when she heard loud voices. She peered in and saw a small crowd formed by Nathaniel, Uncas and several colonials arguing with her father.

"It wasn't a few rebellious natives; it was a war party and they murdered an entire family! Who's to say they won't keep at it?" Nathaniel said passionately.

"I cannot allow the few resources left to me to go fight some made up terror," Colonel Munro answered curtly. "There is no proof of what you say. It may have simply been common thieves."

Uncas then stepped forward, visibly angry at the Scotsman's blindness. "They stole nothing," he said in a low growl. "Anything that would have been taken before the fire remained there."

"What other proof do you need?" A thin, blond man said. Cora recognized him as the same one that had greeted them from atop the fort when they'd arrived. "These men were known in this country long before you English arrived. Their word is as good as anyone's and certainly better than yours!"

"Watch your tone, Mr. Winthrop!" Colonel Munro snapped. "While you remain here, you are under British law and therefore liable to prosecution for insubordination."

"We had an agreement with Webb!" Jack Winthrop said at the same time Nathaniel called out. "Ask Major Heyward!"

The Colonel sighed heavily; the argument was going nowhere. He turned to Duncan, who'd been standing behind him, glowering. "Major, would you care to shed some light on the situation?"

Duncan stepped forward and swept a haughty, cold gaze over the group. "It is true General Webb accepted to the colonials' terms but there was nothing at the farm that indicated it was an attack; it looked more like a raid. Besides, these people could have had their own differences with the natives and the result would have been the same."

"You liar!" Nathaniel roared at the same time a chorus of voices rose up in outrage. "It is not your women and children dying out there!"

Cora let out a small gasp and felt a cold fury descend upon her. She had never seen Duncan act any other way than that of a courteous and honest officer, but his deliberate lie had just revealed to her an entirely different person. She could only guess at Duncan's reasons for disliking Nathaniel, but his personal feelings should not cloud his objectivity as a military officer and a gentleman, especially when there were innocent lives in danger.

She took one step forward and then stopped herself from bursting in the midst of the scene. If she'd been more daring, she would have spoken up and given her own testimony of the attack, but she knew better than to question a man's word in front of his peers, especially when it was her father who was in command. Such was the way of the world that women had to bear the burdens in silence because of men's absolute rule on society.

At that moment, Duncan turned his face and caught sight of her just beyond the doorway. His eyes widened and a white pallor instantly replaced the angry flush on his face. Cora gave him a reproachful look and then hastened away, unable to listen anymore.

When Cora reached her room, she found Alice asleep on the bed. The night before she been very quiet and withdrawn and Cora suspected she had not yet regained her full strength. Remembering not to sound bossy or condescending, the young woman had suggested for Alice to rest another day in their room and was quite surprised when there'd been no argument against it. Now, as Cora stepped into the dim chamber, she trod carefully, trying to not make any noise as she opened the crates where the bed sheets were stored.

She was nearly done collecting them when Duncan burst in without knocking, looking harried and agitated. "Cora!" He called out loudly.

She shot him an angry look and put a hand to her lips, motioning to the figure on the bed.

"I... I wanted to talk to you," he continued more softly.

She was about to send him away when Alice stirred. "Talk to Duncan, Cora," she murmured, sitting up on the bed.

"Alice…"

"Don't worry, I couldn't sleep anyway."

"But you must rest." Cora insisted, all the while ignoring the officer who stood by the entrance looking quite flustered.

"I am fine", Alice replied. "I cannot forever be an invalid schoolgirl, can I? I shall see if Mr. Phelps needs anything."

The door shut behind her and Cora was left alone in the room with the person she least wanted to be with at that moment.

"Forgive me, I did not know she was ill."

There was no reply, only a dense silence that did nothing to alleviate Duncan's anxiety. He knew Cora well enough to know she was angry, but there was also something else in her that bothered him. He could not have known exactly how or when, but Cora had begun to distance herself from him and he was certain it was all because of Nathaniel.

"Cora, I know you are vexed about what you heard but I hope you can understand my loyalties are first to my king and country. Though those men helped us get here safely, it is an entirely different matter to allow them to decamp to fight some imaginary threat."

"They go to protect their families and defend their land, Duncan! Surely their loyalty to the crown is not diminished by that."

"It is not, but those men knew what they signed up for when they joined the militia. They should know sacrifices have to be made for England to prevail!"

Cora gaped at him, aghast at his words. Did Duncan believe her to be blind or stupid? She was an officer's daughter and had experienced firsthand the sacrifices men did for their country!

He mistook her silence as a softening of her disposition and approached her, taking her hands in his. "Please, do not concern yourself with these matters. When everything is over and we are away from this place and married, all that was seen and heard here will be irrelevant. Nothing more than a bad dream."

"Duncan, you have forgotten I have yet to give you an answer," she said, slipping from his grasp. "There are things I cannot forget as easily as you wish and others that I will not. What I saw today only strengthened my belief that I need to keep true to myself. I thank you for the attention and compliments you've given to me and mine, but I cannot accept your proposal. Please take this as my final answer."

When she finished speaking, Cora held her breath and saw how Duncan shrank back from her as though scalded by her words.

"I see," he said after a long, awkward pause. "I apologize for having bothered you." He offered a short bow of the head and then left her to go nurse his heart somewhere, alone.

Alice had not gone far from the room when suddenly she felt a light touch on her shoulder and heard her name whispered in a low voice. "Alice."

She whipped about and her breath caught in her chest when she saw Uncas standing before her, his dark eyes watching her warmly. After their encounter, she'd spent all her time imagining the delights their next encounter would bring, though she had not expected to find him just outside her doorstep.

"Where are you going?" He asked, displaying a small smile.

"Nowhere really," she admitted, coloring slightly. "Duncan and Cora had something to discuss, and I did not want to be in their way."

Uncas raised an eyebrow at this. "Are the Major and your sister quarreling?"

"I don't know. It looked like it, which is why I told her I would go see Mr. Phelps."

Something flashed across the young native's dark eyes. Disappointment, perhaps? "Then, he is expecting you?"

"Oh, no! It was just something to pass the time."

Uncas' face cleared and he gave her an enticing smile. "Would you like to come with me instead?"

Alice's eyes sparkled at this, but she hesitated. "I would love to, but my father..."

For some reason, Uncas looked up at the sky. "It would only be an hour at most."

She bit her lip. She'd not been outside in two days and she was getting tired of being locked up in her small chamber. "Alright," she answered. "I will."

Taking her by the hand, Uncas led Alice to a staircase that led to the top of the bastion. Fortunately for them, there were few people milling about and most had their attention turned to the courtyard, waiting for dinnertime.

They walked along the top of the fort until they came to the side that faced Lake George. The sun was just setting over the hills, casting its last rays of light upon the water's surface and everything seemed to be bathed in a warm, buttery glow. Alice could only stare wide-eyed at the beauty of the landscape before her.

"Everything seems so different from up here!" She breathed. "I could almost imagine there is no raging battle, no enemy waiting for us beyond the fort walls."

"It can be so," Uncas said as he leaned forward on the wooden edge, his arm brushing Alice's slightly. "There are still places where the land is yet untouched by English or the French."

"Truly?" She asked, turning her golden gaze upon him and sending shivers through his spine.

Uncas pointed ahead. "Beyond the mountains to the west, the land goes on and on, forests melting into valleys and then to wide, open plains. The peaks of the mountains reach so high that they are covered with snow even in the hottest days of summer and the rivers run with water so clear that you can often see all the way to the bottom. The game is plentiful and the creatures are so tame that you can come up to them and they will not run away in fright. Other tribes live there, but they mostly live in peace.

"It sounds wonderful," Alice whispered, entranced by the paradise Uncas described. "I wish I could see it one day."

"You will."

Alice turned her gaze to him. "Is that a promise?" Her tone was innocent, but her eyes sparkled with mirth.

Uncas swallowed, suddenly unable to formulate words. The dying light of day enveloped Alice and he was stunned by the vision that she was bathed in gold. He cupped her cheek and lightly ran his finger over her eyelashes to verify that they were not indeed dipped in the shiny dust.

Alice giggled. "What are you doing?"

"Everything about you is always brightness and light," he murmured. "That is why I brought you here, Alice Munro; so that you can admire this sunset and shine along with it. And yes, if you allow me, promise to one day show you what lies beyond this land."

Alice had never listened to anyone speak that way before and she was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears brimmed in her eyes and slipped quietly down her cheeks. Uncas was surprised at her reaction, but her smile told him she was crying out of joy.

In a single move, he took her in his arms and kissed her with passion. Alice shut her eyes and slipped away into what could only be called a dream. She stopped thinking about the outside world and concentrated only on the feelings that washed constantly over her. She could feel Uncas' body pulsing with energy against hers, seeking for a way to satisfy the passion that drove them both. Without meaning to, she bit his lip eliciting a passionate response from him. He clasped her to him and his kisses became fiery and more urgent. An audible sigh escaped from Alice's lips when Uncas suddenly wrenched himself away from her.

She was left holding nothing but air, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. "Is something the matter?"

Uncas did not respond immediately, but Alice saw his shoulders shaking and she was sure she'd done something wrong to make him turn away from her like that. Gently, she walked up to him and placed her hand on his arm. "Forgive me," she murmured. "I'm quite a novice at this and do not know how to act."

"It is you who must forgive me, Alice," the young man said. "For putting your virtue at risk."

"You? But how?" She asked, shocked by this revelation. How could such a passionate exchange between two people who loved one another be considered wrong?

He offered a soft smile and took her hand. "It's already been longer than an hour, we should get you back."